MANILA - More than PHP541 million in financial assistance have been paid by the Employees' Compensation Commission (ECC) to its pensioners nationwide since its establishment in June 2021. ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis said PHP541,440,000 were divided among 27,072 EC pensioners, who received PHP20,000 each. "ECC considered our pensioners in the provision of assistance as they have also been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic because of their vulnerabilities and the prolonged economic impact brought by the pandemic," she said in a recent statement. The pensioners are persons with permanent partial disability or permanent total disability, incurred due to their work or working environment. They can also be the beneficiaries of the employees who died due to work-related contingencies during the prescribed period Jan. 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021. The financial assistance was released by the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System, the impl
Energy Development Corporation's Southern Negros Geothermal Project in Valencia, Negros Oriental. (PNA file photo) DUMAGUETE CITY - Young Negrenses are calling on the public to promote and engage in regenerative practices for the protection of the environment as they shared their personal experiences in vlogs which were cited in a contest that aims to recognize their creative content. The grand prize winner in the "GeoSkwela" vlogging tilt is April Joy Locsin, who received PHP20,000 cash for her vlog entitled Nature's Tripper, which covered topics on urban gardening, organic vegetable planting guides, recycling, and the natural wonders of Negros Occidental, a media release from the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) on Sunday said. Second placer Hans Cortes, who vlogged about his cycling passion and reducing air pollution received PHP10,000; Mariane Joy Balotaolo, third placer, who shared that her experience during Typhoon Sendong turned her into an eco-warrior, rec